Salvation
by asdflksa
Summary: Ryou's been diagnosed with A Failing Heart. The only way for him to live is a heart transplant. The wait is 6 months, and Ryou will only live for 1 month. A familiar, but unknown girl has appeared to Ryou. Will their love be able to conquer Death? Please


Salvation  
  
By: Chibidizer  
  
This story is about Ryou. He's beaten regularly by his yami, Bakura. One day, he decides to skip a day of school after being beaten up by a bunch of school jocks. He reaches the park where he sees a familiar face. He's never seen this girl before, but she's familiar. When he learns that she is in the same situation with her, he is determined to protect her. Being beaten once more, he lies in the hospital diagnosed with a Failing Heart. The only way to live is a heart transplant, but the wait is 6 months. A familiar voice, a familiar face, and familiar feelings of a girl unknown. Will Ryou survive to wait or will he be taken?  
  
R&R! READ AND REVIEW!  
  
Disclaimer: None of the Yu-Gi-Oh Characters belong to me, they all belong to Kazuki Takahashi! However, the plot and the added characters DO belong to me!  
  
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Chapter 1: Emotional Heart Break  
  
"No, Ryou! Don't leave me! DON'T LEAVE ME."  
  
"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" Ryou shouted as he woke up.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you?" His yami, Bakura, growled," You're not the only one who was sleeping. You better get the hell out of here before I really lose my temper!"  
  
At this warning, Ryou jumped out of bed and scuttled into the washroom. Ryou washed his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He had bruises all over from the beatings of his light, he had bags under his eyes, and his skin was so pale he looked like a ghost; in other words, he was in a horrible state. Not only that, but Ryou kept having the same dream these few nights, and felt that something was about to happen. Something big! Ryou looked away at his reflection and freshened up.  
  
"HURRY UP IN THERE, YOU FOOL!" Bakura shouted," OR DO I HAVE TO TEACH YOU A LESSON AGAIN?!"  
  
Ryou scurried out of the washroom and downstairs to the kitchen. Ryou's father had died on one of his travel expeditions, leaving Ryou all alone with Bakura. Ryou didn't care. It's not like anything would have been different if his father were still around. Ryou's mother, however, had died a long time ago. as for his sister. she was deceased. His sister and mother had been the only things that made life worthwhile, and they were both gone.  
  
"Maybe I'm meant to be miserable," Ryou sighed out loud.  
  
"You're right, you ARE supposed to be miserable, and I'm supposed to help you do that!" Bakura sneered as he grabbed the rest of the cereal.  
  
There was nothing else in the house anymore, so, without any food, Ryou left for school. If there weren't any bullies at school, Ryou might've loved school because his yami wasn't present, unfortunately, bullies were everywhere. Sadly, Ryou walked into the school. Ryou didn't even know why he even bothered to go to school. He had even skipped a few grades because he was so intelligent, what was the point of going to school? In any case, Ryou shrugged it off and made his way to his locker.  
  
"Hey Ryou!" A bunch of giggly girls greeted as they walked past him.  
  
Ryou smiled at them and they went all giggly as they blushed. Like a magnet, Ryou's smile at the girls made two dumb jocks appear instantly. They pushed Ryou into a locker and beat him up. With two stupid triumphant grins, they waddled after the giggly girls. Ryou knew that he had at least 5 bruises on his face now and decided to skip school that day. Ryou took his laptop out of his locker and walked out of the school. Then, he set off towards the park.  
  
The park was really the only place where he could relax and be himself. He loved to work on his laptop on the park bench peacefully. If he had enough money, he could have gone to University to become a Graphic Designer or something, but Bakura had taken all Ryou's money under his command, including Ryou's University Fund. With a sigh, Ryou walked off to the park.  
  
When he arrived, Ryou found a seat beside a girl who was reading. She looked about his age and appeared to have gone through almost as many beatings as he has. Ryou sat down and opened his laptop. The laptop made it's usual greeting to Ryou, "Hello Ryou!" Suddenly, the girl beside him closed her book abruptly and left it on the bench, as she seemed to be going through some pain. When she caught Ryou staring at her, her eyes got wide and she left hurriedly.  
  
"Um. Miss! You forgot your book." Ryou called after her, but she had already left.  
  
Ryou sighed again and put the book in his bag. If he ever saw her again, he'd return it, otherwise, he might donate it to charity. Ryou continued to work on his laptop; he was creating his own game this time. Another girl walked by, she looked exactly like the one who had been sitting beside him.  
  
"Miss! You forgot your book!" Ryou said as he stopped her.  
  
"What book?" The girl snapped.  
  
"This one," Ryou said as he reached for the book.  
  
"This. This must be my pathetic light's book!" The girl realized as her eyes grew mad, "WHICH WAY DID SHE GO?" She said this as she ripped the book to shreds.  
  
Ryou knew that that girl must have been beaten by this other girl, her yami. If he told her which way she went, that girl could be in trouble. Thinking fast, he concocted a lie, "She went towards the arcade."  
  
The girl ran towards the arcade, her eyes glowing red. Ryou had ran into a hurricane of trouble, and getting out of it would be as hard as getting his yami to not beat him. Ryou quickly ran out of the park in fear that the angry girl might realize he lied to her. He looked at his watch, the time was 4:00, and school was over. It was safe to go back to his house now. With that, he made his way to the place he called home.  
  
"Why didn't you go to school?" Bakura growled.  
  
"I-I did!" Ryou stammered.  
  
"Don't bore me with your sloppy lies," Bakura menaced, "Mariku just called to ask you why you didn't attend school today!"  
  
"I-I." Ryou faltered, "I didn't want to go!"  
  
"Do you know how much it costs for you to go to school?" Bakura snarled, "But that doesn't matter. It's coming out of YOUR money, anyways!"  
  
"I don't care," Ryou shrugged.  
  
"Oh yeah, Mariku wants to see you, says he misses you," Bakura told him," He wanted you to meet him at the arcade at 4:00, so you'd better go now."  
  
Ryou ran out the door and towards the arcade, he knew Mariku's temper. If you got him mad, he could probably send 50 people after you. As he reached the arcade, he saw Mariku standing there. Mariku always looked so perfect and all the girls would be fawning over him. like they were now. Ryou had spotted some girls hiding behind a vending machine, sneaking peeks at him and giggling. Ryou shook his head and continued towards Mariku. Mariku looked up and smiled at Ryou.  
  
"Ryou, you're finally here!" Mariku grinned (Though his grin always looked somewhat evil), "I've been waiting forever! Let's go!"  
  
Mariku took his hand and ran into the arcade. Mariku had a tendency to do that, one second he was all giddy, the next he was going on a killing spree. Ryou did his best to keep Mariku happy, in other words, he had to act like he really liked Mariku. It's not that Ryou hated him or anything; it was just. Mariku was. a bit. moody, should I say? Ryou stared at Mariku as he played one of those motorcycle games. Mariku WAS perfect in every single way. His marks were average, he was athletic, he was so hot, and he was perfect! Suddenly, a shove knocked Ryou to the floor. Mariku jumped off the motorbike and stopped the girl who had pushed Ryou. Ryou recognized her; she was the one who had ripped apart the book. Oh no, he thought, Mariku's going to fight again.  
  
"Apologize!" Mariku commanded.  
  
"Why should I?" The girl retorted, "That boy deserves to die! He pointed me in the wrong direction, MY LIGHT IS NO WHERE TO BE SEEN, BOY! WHERE THE HELL IS SHE?!"  
  
"I'm not telling you!" Ryou managed to shout, "You'd probably beat her!"  
  
The girl looked surprised and demanded, "How do you know?! What did she tell you?"  
  
"Well, it's kind of obvious!" Ryou said.  
  
"Apologize to Ryou now, lady," Mariku said trying to hold his temper back, "I don't want to make a scene!"  
  
"Fine, whatever! Sorry, but next time you'll pay!" The girl said as he huffed out the door.  
  
"Is she gone?" A voice asked.  
  
That voice was so familiar to Ryou; he had heard it before. Somewhere. He turned around to see the girl that other girl was looking for. That's weird, he's never heard her voice before, but her voice was so familiar to him.  
  
"Uh. Yeah, she's gone!" Ryou replied as he continued to stare at her.  
  
The girl smiled at him and said, "My name's Michiko. Thank you for saving me!"  
  
"I'm Ryou, Ryou Bakura," Ryou said as he blushed, "Who was that girl and what was she going to do to you?"  
  
Michiko looked away in an ashamed way. She obviously didn't want to tell anybody about it. Mariku recognized that and quickly changed the subject,  
  
"What school do you go to?" Mariku quickly asked.  
  
"I don't go to school." Michiko muttered.  
  
"Why?" Mariku asked.  
  
"Because she won't allow it." Michiko replied.  
  
"Oh." Mariku said quietly, "No wonder I've never seen you at school."  
  
"Yeah, you know practically everybody, don't you, Mariku?" Ryou joked.  
  
"Actually I do!" Mariku replied, quite serious.  
  
"Hey Mariku!" A bunch of giggly girls giggled, as they looked him up and down.  
  
"Hey!" Mariku said good-naturedly.  
  
Suddenly, the girl burst in and shouted manically, "HA, my pathetic hikari! You can't get away from me!"  
  
Michiko gasped and stepped behind Ryou and Mariku. The girl walked up to Ryou and Mariku and glared at them. She tried to push them away, but they wouldn't budge.  
  
"Step aside," She growled.  
  
"Why?" Ryou demanded, "So you can hurt her? No way am I letting you hurt her!"  
  
The girl laughed and punched Ryou in the face. Mariku tried to restrain her, but she was too fast. Soon, Mariku was also at his knees. Then she glared at Michiko. Yukiko grabbed Michiko by her wrist and dragged her away. Mariku slowly got up on his feet and helped Ryou to his feet. Ryou tried to run and catch up to her, but, in exhaustion, fell to the ground.  
  
Ryou slowly opened his eyes. He could make out the faces of Mariku and his yami, Bakura.  
  
"Where am I?" Ryou asked.  
  
"In a hospital," Bakura growled, "Mariku told me what happened. I so ashamed to have such a weak hikari like you! Being beaten by Yukiko, too! Tch, how sad!"  
  
"Who's Yukiko?" Ryou enquired.  
  
"Yukiko is the name of Michiko's dark." Mariku said.  
  
"Sh-She has a dark?!" Ryou demanded.  
  
"Yes, what's the big deal about it?" Bakura snarled.  
  
"I thought. only people. with Millennium Items had. yamis." Ryou answered.  
  
"Good point, Ryou, care to fill us in, Bakura?" Mariku asked.  
  
"I'm also quite curious." Marik said as he appeared from the shadows.  
  
"I don't want to tell you!" Bakura snarled as he growled menacingly.  
  
"And I wouldn't allow you to." Yukiko said as she walked in with a rather beaten Michiko following after her.  
  
"Michiko!" Ryou said as he tried to jump up from bed, "Are you okay?!"  
  
Michiko smiled and replied, "I'm fine, but what about you? You're hurt!"  
  
Michiko ran over to Ryou. Then she looked away and said, "I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble."  
  
"Uh. Michiko, can I talk to you for a second? Privately?" Mariku asked.  
  
"Sure," Michiko responded.  
  
Mariku and Michiko walked out of the room and Mariku closed the door.  
  
"What's wrong?" Michiko asked.  
  
"It's about Ryou. He has. His heart. Ryou's heart is failing." Mariku said sadly.  
  
"What?!" Michiko asked; her eyes wide open.  
  
"We haven't told Ryou yet, but the doctor says his heart is slowly failing. The doctor said. The only way now. was a heart transplant. The wait is about 6 months. and Ryou doesn't have that kind of time," Mariku told her; his eyes filling with tears.  
  
"No. isn't there another way? Like a pacemaker? Or a device to help the heart, or a heart valve surgery?!" Michiko cried,  
  
Mariku silently shock his head. Michiko stared into space for a bit, her eyes were all blurry and tried to fight back tears. She ran, away from Mariku, away from Ryou, away from the hospital, away from that world. Finally she stopped and fell to the ground, sobbing.  
  
"It's all my fault," Michiko sobbed, "It's all my fault!"  
  
She saw a pair of feet stop in front of her. Someone bent down and asked her, "What's wrong? A pretty girl like you shouldn't be crying!"  
  
He patted her shoulder and she slapped his hand away.  
  
"Leave me alone," Michiko wept; with that, she ran from that man.  
  
Finally, Michiko stopped; she had reached the harbour. She looked at the ocean. The waves gently hit the side of the rocks. The ocean was always so peaceful. She looked into the ocean and saw Ryou beside her. Michiko quickly turned around and saw Ryou smiling at her.  
  
"Ry-ryou! What are you doing here? I-I thought you were in the hospital!" Michiko stuttered.  
  
"Michiko. I know. I'm going to die. Don't feel sad, Michiko; you've nothing to do with me. We've just met, we have met just a day ago." Ryou whispered softly.  
  
"No. I've met you somewhere before. I know I have," Michiko cried, "Ryou. I've seen you before. Perhaps in my dreams, but we've known each other for a long time, don't you feel it?"  
  
Ryou smiled and nodded his head. But where have I seen you before? Ryou asked himself. He stared at Michiko's face. She seemed so familiar. Ever since he first saw her, he knew that he had seen her before. No, that's impossible! I've never seen her in my life! It's impossible that we've met! I've always been under the control of my yami and my father! Ever since mother and Ayane died, I've been all alone! Ryou told himself.  
  
"Ryou, are you okay?" Michiko asked; her eyes shining with worry.  
  
"I'm fine, Michiko," Ryou said, his head held down in shame.  
  
Ryou started to walk away, leaving Michiko staring behind him. He felt regret, something Ryou had never felt in his life before. Regret was piercing his heart. Regret for leaving Michiko there. Regret for everything that has happened. But that wasn't enough to override his beliefs. He knew that he had to leave Michiko, otherwise, she would break. His heart was failing and the only way to live was to get a heart transplant. The wait was 6 months and Ryou didn't have that kind of time. Death was lurking behind the corner. And Ryou couldn't do anything to stop it.  
  
"Michiko, where's Ryou?!" Mariku asked in alarm.  
  
"Didn't you allow him to leave the hospital?" Michiko enquired.  
  
"No, we didn't! We had decided to give Ryou his rest and I remembered that I left my wallet in there. When I returned to his room, the door was wide open and Ryou was no where to be seen!" Mariku exclaimed.  
  
"I met him, at the harbour! He told me that he knew his heart was failing!" Michiko told.  
  
"What?! How would he know?!" Mariku demanded.  
  
Mariku thought for awhile and then muttered, "Oh no. The sheets. I left them beside Ryou's side table. He must have read them while I went to get him a cup of water."  
  
Michiko stared in awe. He knew, yet, he still couldn't allow tears. Michiko had always thought of Ryou as one of those types who would cry at many things. She had obviously guessed wrong. Mariku finally left to look for Ryou, leaving Michiko standing there, in pain. Emotional Pain.  
  
From the shadows, a figure appeared, "I'll make you all better, my dear Michiko! Mwahahahahaaa..."  
  
Okay! I'm finally done the first chapter! Life is hard, isn't it? Sadness can sometimes overwhelm you, but think of the good things in life. That's something I've never believed in. Yes, life is cruel. Anyways, don't forget to Review! PLEASE REVIEW! Arigatou! ^-^ 


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